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FREDERICTON – Figures released Tuesday say fewer Maritimers are choosing to go to university as compared to a decade ago.

Statistics released by the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission show demand for university education has declined in the region since 2004-2005.

Commission CEO Mireille Duguay says Maritimers have historically had a higher level of participation in universities than the national average, but that gap is closing.

During the last decade, demand by Nova Scotians for university education declined by three percentage points to 21.1 per cent.

In the same time period, demand by New Brunswickers decreased by 1.4 percentage points to 18.3 per cent, and for Prince Edward Island it decreased by 0.5 percentage points to 18.6 per cent.

The commission conducted a survey of Maritime Grade 12 students last month, and Duguay says she hopes the information will provide some insight on how they are making decisions about post-secondary education.